The opacity in the Rafale deal only raises doubts, with its fallout on national security and the ‘Make in India’ programme The controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to go in for an outright purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jet aircraft, after scrapping the old negotiations, is unlikely to …

The only worthwhile goal to be attained by all is moksha and the only path is renunciation, say the scriptures. Hence, only when a jivatma gives up attachment to the world does he become qualified to be selected to the most exalted and coveted status, the state of liberation, pointed …

Chinese experts have blamed the volatile organic compounds in hair spray, perfume and air refreshers for the recurring air pollution in the country as the dreaded smog returned to haunt Beijing on Monday. The air quality index in the city climbed to 213, which is categorised by the WHO as …

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is taking a particularly ambitious step, creating a new college backed by a planned investment of $1 billion. Two-thirds of the funds have already been raised, MIT said, in announcing the initiative on Monday. The college, called the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing, …

Humans have no option but to leave the earth Stephen Hawking’s final work, which tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel, was launched on Monday by his children, who helped complete the book after the British astrophysics giant’s death. Hawking was forever being asked …

Two male penguins who have paired up as a “same-sex couple” have become so good at nesting that zookeepers in Sydney have given them a real egg to look after. Sea Life Sydney said they had been watching “inseparable” gentoo penguins Sphen and Magic become a “great team” during this …

Streaming giants are exposing them to unsuitable content, say TV programme makers With YouTube replacing Disney as the most-loved brand among young children in the U.S., and streaming giants encouraging binge viewing, a whole generation risk being brought up on cultural junk food, some of the world’s top kids television …

If you crave for a pint of beer at the end of a hard day, brace yourself: climate change is poised to make your favourite drink more scarce and pricey. Heatwaves and droughts will periodically cause sharp declines in barley yields, a crucial ingredient in most beer, according to a …

Kreditech has been licensed by the RBI to operate as an NBFC with the first-of-its-kind licence in the Indian financial history for digital lending business and app-based financing, the Germany-based company said in a release on Monday. Kreditech’s product suite for India will offer individualised direct-to-consumer loans as well as …

The rupee snapped its three-session gaining streak to end 26 paise lower at 73.83 against the dollar on Monday after crude prices rose amid intensifying geopolitical tensions. Dealers said a spurt in dollar demand from importers dragged down the domestic currency. At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex), the rupee opened …

IndusInd Bank Ltd. reported a lower than expected net profit of Rs. 920.25 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2018 as compared with Rs. 880.10 crore in the year-earlier period on account of one-off prudential contingency provision of Rs. 275 crore. According to analysts the Rs. 275 crore …

Wholesale inflation accelerated to 5.13% in September, driven in large part by quickening inflation in the primary articles segment and stabilising food prices, according to official data released on Monday. Growth in the Wholesale Price Index quickened in September from 4.53% in August. Inflation in the primary articles category stood …

Infrastructure Leasing and & Financial Services (IL&FS), which is in the midst of a huge liquidity crisis, has got a one-month relief from proceedings filed against the company by banks and other creditors as the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has stayed all such proceedings against the company and …

Outgoing Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has told the Supreme Court that disappearing ink and specially treated ballot papers were to blame for his heavy election defeat last month. The comments came as the court considered a petition by Mr. Yameen to have the September 23 election result annulled due to …

Bangladeshi newspapers’ editors on Monday staged a protest demanding sweeping amendments to a newly-enacted digital law that journalists and rights groups say will curb freedom of expression. Critics say the measures — including prison sentences for spreading “negative propaganda” — are an attempt by an increasingly autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh …

The status of Britain’s Brexit talks with the EU continue to be governed by uncertainty as Prime Minister Theresa May stood by her rejection over the weekend of a deal being negotiated with the EU by her own officials. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, the British Prime Minister insisted that …

The Himalayan nation of Bhutan, often described as a “Shangri-La” where happiness is equated to wealth, is holding elections this week. But the Lhotshampa people, brutally driven out of the small kingdom in the 1990s, won’t be voting. The Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa were branded as immigrants and stripped of citizenship rights …

Britain’s Brexit talks with the EU took another dramatic turn over the weekend as — faced with growing opposition from within her own party ranks, some Cabinet ministers and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party — Prime Minister Theresa May rejected terms of a deal being negotiated by her own officials …

Trump speaks to Saudi King; says he denied any knowledge on missing scribe Turkish investigators were to search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Monday for the first time since journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, as King Salman denied any knowledge of his fate in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. …

Chinese Army men made a brief incursion in July A group of Chinese Army personnel briefly came to the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh on July 25 but returned after Indian security personnel objected to it, official sources said. They said …